News Bites: Viaduct plans, space contests and “non-stick” chewing gum

The viaduct in the 50s: Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct, a vital part of State Highway 99, carries traffic above the waterfront, linking the northern part of the city to the industrial area south of the central business district. The first part of the elevated roadway, from Battery Street to Dearborn Street, was completed in 1953; the southern extension, nearly finished in this view, was added in 1959. (Seattle P-I/MOHAI). For more P-I pictures from the 1950s, check out our historic gallery.

Seattle:

What do you think of the newest viaduct plan? The $545 million replacement would stand 30 feet lower, have more lanes and include a bike path. The P-I’s Larry Lange reports. Seattleites will have the opportunity to discuss the plans in two meetings later this month.

Microsoft’s covert Windows fix raises concerns. The Windows Secrets newsletter reveals that Microsoft did not notify customers — even when their settings demanded it — when installing an update to Windows Update. It was too important not to fix, Windows reps said. But some say that’s no excuse. The P-I’s Todd Bishop has more.

Sen. Pat Murray urges Bush to sign a new education bill. The bill would increase the maximum Pell Grant amount and lower student loan interest rates. The Democratic senator from Washington made the endorsement at a speech at the University of Washington. The P-I’s Christine Frey tells why.

A word from the Hooters poster prankster: He’s made other art before. And he didn’t think his latest, intentional poster sabotage would get the attention it did. The artist spoke with the Slog’s Jonah Spangenthal-Lee.

Google helps fund a new space contest. Three years after a contest between private companies led to the first manned private spaceflight, another challenge pits company against company in a race to the moon, the AP reports.

In Asia, a new warning system gets the message out quick. Within six minutes, many had heard about the powerful earthquake off Indonesia and were ready for a possible tsunami, the AP reports. A tsunami didn’t come — but the one that killed 230,000 in 2004 is still fresh in people’s minds.

A fake news report in India leads to the beating of a teacher. Too bad to be true? A mob beat her and police threw her in jail after a TV station aired an undercover sting claiming a math teacher in New Delhi had turned her classroom into a brothel. But now the whole report looks to have been made up, with the involvement of a reporter working with someone to whom the teacher owed money. The whole mess is being seen as a symptom of India’s hypercompetitive media landscape. The AP has more.